Sean Mason Trio Plays the Cool Jazz of Ahmad Jamal

A rising star in the jazz arena, pianist and JazzArts Academy alumnus Sean Mason and his trio delivers a cool and modern approach to the music of the legendary Ahmad Jamal, often known for his trio’s interpretive use of space and lightness of touch. Sean’s playing reflects …“spiritual, spontaneous bursts of joy, melancholy and fury. Something special not to be missed!”

The Jazz Room @ The Stage Door Theater provides a casual and intimate setting with tables and a full bar, reminiscent of the classic jazz rooms of yesteryear.

Charlotte native, Sean Mason is a musician, composer, and bandleader. As a versatile artist, Mason interweaves through genres and styles but will always leave his audience with a recognizable footprint of the crudest form of himself. Most importantly, Sean Mason is obsessed with the preservation of America’s own art form, jazz, as well as the preservation of the democratic principles that allow jazz to be jazz. As a living example of these principles, Sean Mason is determined to inspire and cultivate the realization of the self across all barriers of the human race. Sean Mason realizes the potential of music to provoke unity, transform lives, and communicate love, and he will always incorporate those values in his performances. When you witness Sean Mason perform, you will experience love. Jazz Arts Initiative is proud to recognize Sean Mason as an alumnus of the All-Star Jazz Youth Ensemble program.

Pianist Ahmad Jamal helped to evolve the cool jazz movement. At the age of fourteen, he was recognized as a "coming great" by the pianist Art Tatum. Trained in both traditional jazz ("American classical music", as he prefers to call it), Jamal entered the world of jazz at a time when the blinding speed of bebop was central to jazz. Jamal’s small ensemble emphasized a lightness of space and time in his interpretations, moving jazz in the direction of popular music. He is known for his influence on and friendship of Miles Davis. Most recognized for his chart-topping album “But Not For Me”, his music is found on the soundtrack of the 1995 movie “Bridges of Madison County.”